Tiring during swimming

lamai

I learned to do the front crawl last year and I completed 4 sprint triathlons. I feel I am in great shape. But I am finding swimming tough going. My 750 pool swim in just under 15.30 mins, I go to coached triathlon swimming lessons every week.

It is a real struggle to do 750 metres. One issue that I have sorted is my kicking, which I am told means my body is not dragging as much.

An example of my problem is tonight. I started with 12 lengths. The first 4 lengths I am trying to keep it steady and smooth and for 4 lengths I feel great. Everything feels smooth and feel like I am gliding through the water. But after that my heart rate goes up. Then I start struggling for air.

I can run faster than most and a five mile training run would have me barely breaking sweat. I would love to feel like this when I am swimming:(

AngryHippie

I've always found the first 4-500m to be an absoulte mission, after about 800m the laps get easier, if a little slower, I consider that first 500m as a warm-up, and after that a 30s rest leaves me right for a continuous swim of 2km without any significant breathlessness or aching.
I do put in some fin work and sculling into my swim sets usually as I find it leaves my legs and arms with a little extra endurance compared to before I started doing it. Its slow speed, but fast motion and it activates a lot of small muscles that I don't normally overload.

Clseeper

Lamai,

I believe that’s just your fitness. You have to understand that swimming is a very different sport to running or cycling. The reason that your first four lengths are really good is because you are fresh, after this your body has used up all the available oxygen in your blood and you start craving more air. This is the key difference between swimming and more other sports – in swimming you much perform under exertion for long periods of time without constant access to air. Even within the competitive swimming environment the long distance swimmers (>200m) have to put in a lot of pool time.

So to answer your first question, you need to increase your time in the pool to see a big improvement. How often do you current train in the pool?

The legs are a tough one to change if it hasn’t come naturally yet. Has the coach told you your legs are sinking/dragging? Some people don’t kick much but can still have a decent body position.

As AngryHippie says, some fin work will strengthen your legs quite quickly. I’d check in with your coach and ask them to highlight where you can improve.

lamai

Clseeper wrote: »

Lamai,

I believe that’s just your fitness. You have to understand that swimming is a very different sport to running or cycling. The reason that your first four lengths are really good is because you are fresh, after this your body has used up all the available oxygen in your blood and you start craving more air. This is the key difference between swimming and more other sports – in swimming you much perform under exertion for long periods of time without constant access to air. Even within the competitive swimming environment the long distance swimmers (>200m) have to put in a lot of pool time.

So to answer your first question, you need to increase your time in the pool to see a big improvement. How often do you current train in the pool?

The legs are a tough one to change if it hasn’t come naturally yet. Has the coach told you your legs are sinking/dragging? Some people don’t kick much but can still have a decent body position.

As AngryHippie says, some fin work will strengthen your legs quite quickly. I’d check in with your coach and ask them to highlight where you can improve.

I swim maybe twice a week sometimes only once. 3 times in the last 3 days so I am going to put in the effort from now on. I got a few 2000 meter sets done out for me. I will try to complete these from now on.

I have had 2 coaches tell me that my kicking is fine now.

I did 30 length earlier I tried to keep as relaxed as possible, slow strokes and it felt good, not really out of breath after it. But I am not sure if I was slow or not.

Burkatron

lamai wrote: »

I did 30 length earlier I tried to keep as relaxed as possible, slow strokes and it felt good, not really out of breath after it. But I am not sure if I was slow or not.

At this stage it doesn't matter how slow you are! Good technique will allow for better development of speed! Build on the 30 lengths at the pace you're going! Try & do 35 the next session, 40 after that. Build on it till you hit double the distance then work on your speed sets! Also fin work will help develop your overall leg speed endurance aslong as you're kicking correctly!

DustyBin

Burkatron wrote: »

Also fin work will help develop your overall leg speed endurance aslong as you're kicking correctly!

Do you mean legs only kicking sets like fins and a kick board, or fins on whilst doing f/c, or both?

Burkatron

DustyBin wrote: »

Do you mean legs only kicking sets like fins and a kick board, or fins on whilst doing f/c, or both?

Both, decent fins are weighted & give positive feedback so that any kicking you do while swimming with them causes your legs to be more involved during the swim giving you a better overall workout! If you have a good correct leg kick they will make them better, if you have bad technique they'll compound it!

Lyanna

lamai wrote: »

I swim maybe twice a week sometimes only once. 3 times in the last 3 days so I am going to put in the effort from now on. I got a few 2000 meter sets done out for me. I will try to complete these from now on.

I have had 2 coaches tell me that my kicking is fine now.

I did 30 length earlier I tried to keep as relaxed as possible, slow strokes and it felt good, not really out of breath after it. But I am not sure if I was slow or not.

Most pools have timing clocks on the wall that you can check as you turn. It's worth learning to check them out after each 50 metres so you become a good judge of your own speed and, particularly, consistency. If you find yourself slowing as the session goes on you need to work on your stamina.

Oh, and use the sets. A structured session is much more use when you're training for something than what you might call a "flat" session (by "flat" I mean swimming a set number of lengths without varying your intensity). That kind of session will gain you a certain level of fitness but you won't find your fitness improving session on session the way it will with a structured programme. Ideally your warm-up should be a clearly defined distance, say 400m at a relaxed pace (just as an example; I don't know how long it takes you to loosen up). The most important part of the body of the programme is consistency. If you're swimming 4x200m, for example, the fourth 200m should be at the same pace as the first, with a fixed rest time between each 200m. That's tough, and you won't be able to maintain it at the beginning but it's the best way of building stamina. I'd also say that it's worth taking long rest periods at first if it helps you maintain a consistent pace while you're swimming. A lot of people overlook resting but it's as much a part of the session as the swimming is. If you don't need to rest at the fixed intervals set aside for recovery then you're not pushing yourself hard enough.

I've just reread this and it reads a bit like a lecture. Sorry about that; just trying to pass on what I've gained from 8 years of competitive swimming . Good luck with the triathlon!

_toiletduck_

@ Lyanna: that was a decent post, I agree with everything you said there on swim training.

@ OP: I've done triathlon for the last 2 years, but i seem to be the total opposite to you, I come from a competitive swimming background. At the moment I would do the 750m at the start of the tri in under 10 mins (~9:20 on a good fast lane). One of the things I have realized on my transition from just pure swimming to tri is that you don't actually need your legs as much on the swim. I swim with a 2 beat kick (if even) I only use them to keep myself balanced and so they aren't dragging slowing me down. Its the arms that get you from A -> B quickest and after the swim, your arms are finished for the rest of the tri, so I tend to work them hard on the swim, saving my legs for the bike, my downfall. I am often one of the first 5 out of the pool, only to have 30 odd people zip by me on the first 20 mins of the bike. Quite disheartening!

Anyways my advice on swimming training is again, use sets and structure. I'm sure you have done interval training for running and cycling and the same can be applied to swimming. If you just get used to slogging out the 1km at a continuous pace it can become quite a chore.
Try to vary your intervals, try doing 100m catch-up, followed by 100m full stroke, 100m chicken wings, 100m full, 100m head-up, 100m full etc.

apologies for the long post,
wish you the best of luck!

the_syco

_toiletduck_ wrote: »

I swim with a 2 beat kick (if even) I only use them to keep myself balanced and so they aren't dragging slowing me down. Its the arms that get you from A -> B quickest and after the swim, your arms are finished for the rest of the tri, so I tend to work them hard on the swim, saving my legs for the bike, my downfall.

Agreed. Your arms, if used correctly, can really make a difference, and most importantly, your hands. The way your hands hit the water is pretty crucial, as if they hit it wrongly, you'll loose a lot of the energy, and your arms will tire quicker.

Question: do you do anything in terms of warm-up before the swim? Personally speaking, when I was training to be a lifeguard, me and the rest of the class would do 4 lengths front stroke as a warm-up, to get us into the swing of things, before doing the various other strokes. Not doing any sort of warm-up will ensure you tire quickly. An example is running: you'll find yourself able to run easier if you do a stretch beforehand. For swimming, ensure you also stretch your arms, as well, and maybe swing your arms around as if you were swimming.